Rocky Physician Assistants Graduate

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By Laura Kennedy

Story Published: Aug 26, 2010 at 6:19 PM MST

Story Updated: Aug 26, 2010 at 6:19 PM MST

BILLINGS - The 2010 class of Physician Assistants graduated from Rocky Mountain College Thursday afternoon, and among them, one Billings native who has crossed continents in his road to graduation.

Justin Gifford graduated from West High School nearly a decade ago. His journey to Thursday's White Coat Ceremony has been nothing short of an adventure.

Friends and family of Rocky Mountain College students braved the record-breaking heat Thursday to watch 26 men and women receive their Master of Physician Assistant Studies. The graduates donned their coats during the traditional White Coat Ceremony.

"It's just a real honor and it just feels nice to be completed and become a professional," graduate Justin Gifford said. He joined the U.S. Army after graduating from West High nearly ten years ago.

"The options were pretty limited for what we could do after high school and my dad suggested going in the military," he said. He served as a Combat Medic for a year in Iraq where he discovered medicine was his calling.

"During that time we worked really close with a P.A. and I was kind of his right-hand man," he said.

Thursday's ceremony marked the end of five years of college and the closing of a chapter in his life. A chapter his wife calls challenging. "It's also been a blessing because he's really grown a lot from what he's learned and he's grown up a lot," Holly Gifford said.

Holly said she is excited for the future and for spending more time together as a family.

Justin and his wife also celebrated their fourth anniversary Thursday. They hope to stay in the region, but will move wherever the job market takes them.

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Justin Gifford said on Sunday, Aug 29 at 12:20 AM

I just wanna say I'm proud of all of my fellow classmates and wish all y'all good luck in the future!

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